henderson



No. 770,720. PATEN TED SEPT. 20, 1904.

J. C. HENDERSON. APPARATUS FOR OPERATING THE PRESSER PLATES 0F CHEESE OR OTHER PRESSES. I APPLICATION FILED NOV. 19, 1903. Q

NO MODEL.

i 7 5 2 6) iflsizdardaia Zl/Zzedded/ 4 0 9 1 O 2 T P E S D E T .N E T A P J. G. HENDERSON.

APPARATUS FOR OPERATING THE PRESSER PLATES 0P CHEESE OR OTHER PRESSES.

APPLICATION FILED NOV.19, 190a.

SHEET 2.

NO MODEL.

I SHEETS ZZZ $2666 66 %7%J/W w %W UNITED STATES JAMES CLAUDE HENDERSON,

Patented September 20, 1904.

PATENT OFFICE.

OF MELBOURNE, VICTORIA, AUSTRALIA,

ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO WALTER JAMES ANDERSON AND ERNEST SYDNEY BURMAN, OF MELBOURNE, VICTORIA, AUSTRALIA.

APPARATUS FOR OPERATING THE PRESSER-PLATES OF CHEESE OR OTHER PRESSES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 770,720, dated September 20, 1904. Application filed November I9, 1903. Serial No. 181,854. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, J AMES CLAUDE HENDER- SON, a subject of the King of Great Britain, residing at No. 46 ABeckett street, Melbourne,

5 in the State of Victoria and Commonwealth of Australia, have invented a new and Improved Apparatus for Operating the Presser-Plates of Cheese or other Presses,of which the following is a specification.

This invention has been devised mainly for the purpose of operating the compressionplates of cheese-presses, and is hereinafter described, and shown in the annexed drawings, as applied to that class of cheese-press known as 5 agang-press. It will, however, beobvious that it is equally applicable to any press in which two movable presser-plates are used.

In cheese-presses as at presentconstructed it is impossible to obtain a constant and in- 2 creasing pressure upon the cheeses, which is an essential in the manufacture of good cheese. Now by this invention the difficulty is overcome and a constant and increasing pressure up to a predetermined point can be obtained, 2 5 and, moreover, the press is automatic in its action, requiring no attention after once being started.

The improved apparatus for operating the presserplates of cheese and other presses con- 3 sists in storing water in a cistern in an elevated position and allowing said water to'pass therefrom at a predetermined speed into another cistern at a lower elevation, the latter cistern being suspended at one end of a rope which passes over two overhead pulleys, its

It will therefore be readily understood that as said lower cistern fills with water from the upper cistern it will descend and in doing so the compression plates will be gradually drawn together, compressing the cheeses between them, the pressure slowly increasing until the desired maximum is attained. The pressure to which the cheeses are to be subjected varies according to their diameter and the requirements of the operator, and this can be regulated by increasing or decreasing the quantity of water placed in the upper cistern. In order to make the press applicable for pressing cheeses of varying diameters, means are provided by which the lower tubes of the press are capable of vertical adjustment.

Referring to the drawings hereto annexed, Figure 1 is a side elevation, and Fig. 2 a plan, of an ordinary gang cheese-press, in which the compression-plates are operated according to this invention. Fig.3 is a cross-sectional view, on the line a a, of the press, showing the back of one of the compression-plates. Fig. Ais an end view of one of the end plates, showing clearly the means by which the lower tubes are raised and lowered.

A denotes the upper, and A the lower, supporting-tubes forming the press proper, said tubes A being bolted to end plates B B, while said tubes A are supported in slots in the end plates, as will be hereinafter described.

O C are the compression-plates, which slide upon the tubes A. At the end of and in front of each compression-plate are pulleys D D, each carried in a suitable support or frame D bolted to the compression-plate.

E E are ropes each of which is attached to one end of a bridle F and then passed under a pulley D on the end plate B and also round pulley D and pulley D and then brought back and fastened in any suitable manner to the tubes A at a point about midway between the center of the press and the compressionplate O.

H is a rope which is attached to the center of bridle F and passes over pulleys I and J, affixed at an elevation above the press, and at the end of said rope H is suspended a tank K.

L is a tank which has a capacity of not less than forty gallons and is supported in any suitable manner at such an elevation that its contents can be discharged into tank K when desired.

M is a pipe leading from tank L and having a suificient length of hose N attached thereto to permit of said tank K reaching its lowermost position without the hose being withdrawn therefrom.

O is a wheel-valve by which the discharge of water from tank L is regulated.

In order to make the press to which these improvements are applied suitable for pressing cheeses of varying diameters, slots P are made in each of the end plates and presserplates to permit of the tubes A A being raised and lowered vertically, and such tubes are retained in the desired position in any approved way. In Fig. 3 the tubes A are shown as supported on a horizontal bar P, situated at the center of the press, which bar is supported at either end by means of pins P, which are inserted in holes in a vertical standard Q. The bars A are supported in the slots in the end plates by means of ayoke R, carried on a screwed vertical rod S, provided with a butterfly-nut T.

The mode of operation is as follows: The lower tubes A A having been adjusted to suit the diameter of the cheeses to be compressed, the compression plates are pulled apart and are then locked on the tubes A in any approved way and the press is filled with the cheeses to be pressed, tank K being in its highest position, as shown in Fig. 1 of the drawings. The requisite quantity of water to produce the desired pressure is then placed in the tank L. The quantity varies according to the diameter of the cheeses to be pressed and also to the' pressure to be placed upon them. It has been found that with cheeses eighteen inches in diameter forty gallons ofwater are suflicient to give a pressure of one ton; but if a lesser or greater pressure is required the quantity must be decreased or increasedaccordingly. When it is desired to commenceoperations, the compression-plates are unlocked, and wheel-valve O is opened to a greater or less extent, according to the time the operation is to take, six turns of the wheel being sufficient if the cheeses are required to be pressed for a period of four hours. VV'hen the valve is opened, the water from tank L passes through pipe M to tank K, which, as it gradually descends, draws the compressionplates together, thus pressing the cheeses between them. As previously stated, the pressure is a constant and gradually-increasing one and is perfectly automatic. Moreover, the operator can tell by the number of turns given by him to the wheel-valve 0 when the operation will be completed, and consequently the press requires no attention from the time the operation commences until the cheeses are ready to be removed. 7

Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I claim isl. A press comprising a pair of fixed and a pair of vertically-adjustable supporting-tubes, compression-plates mounted upon said tubes and slidable toward and away from each other, and means connected with each of the plates for simultaneously moving them toward each other.

2. A press comprising a pair of fixed and a pair of vertically-adjustable supporting-tubes, compression-plates mounted upon said tubes and slidable toward and away from each other, and means connected with each of the plates for moving them toward each other.

3. Apress comprising a pair of fixed and a pair of vertically-adjustable supporting-tubes,

compression-plates mounted upon said tubes and slidable toward and away from each other, a pulley carried by each of said plates, and means traveling over said pulleys and connected with one pair of the tubes for moving the plates toward each other.

4. A press comprising a pair of fixed and a ,pair of vertically-adjustable supporting-tubes, compression-plates mounted upon said tubes and slidable toward and away from each other, a pulley carried by each of said plates, and means traveling over said pulleys and connected with one pair of the tubes for simultaneously moving the plates toward each other. 5. A press comprising a pair of fixed and a pair ofvertically-adjustable supporting-tubes,

compression-plates mounted upon said tubes and slidable toward and away from each other, a pulley connected to each of said plates, a bridle, ropes traveling over said pulleys and connected at one end to one pair of the tubes and at their other end to said brid'l'e for mov- 'ing the plates toward each other when the over said pulleys and connected at one end to one pair of said tubes and at their other end to said bridle for moving the plates toward each other when the bridle is operated, anda vertically-operable meansconnec'ted with the bridle for operating it.

7. A press comprising a pair of fixedand a pair of adjustable supporting-tubes, compres sion-plates mounted upon said tubes and slidable toward and away from each other, a pulley connected to each of said plates, a vertically-operable bridle, ropes traveling over said pulleys and connected at one end to one In Witness whereof I have hereunto set my paicll" of Said tubes and 1at their other (and tfi hand in presence of two Witnesses. sai bri le for moving 1318 p ates toWar eac 1 1 other When the bridle is operated, a vertically- JAMES CLAUDE HLNDERbON' 5 movable tank connected with the bridle for Witnesses:

operating it, and means for supplying a fluid WALTER S. BAYsToN, to said tank. FRANK BAYs'roN. 

